


Teen Wolf: Afterlife

by celestialshimmer



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Can be read as canon extension or as AU, Canon compliant until the end of season 3, Dystopia, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Kira Week, M/M, More character tags and relationship tags will be added later, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 18:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1788310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialshimmer/pseuds/celestialshimmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The life of a kitsune is to live to see all your loved ones die. Kira Yukimura had to accept that decades ago. When the last of her friends was finally lost, she attempted to bury her past, to move on and hopefully not continue to form more relationships doomed to end in pain. However, everything changes when she realizes that she cannot hide from her past at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teen Wolf: Afterlife

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afuckingcastleintheclouds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afuckingcastleintheclouds/gifts).



> I've been planning this fic for a little while, and my dear friend Castles has convinced me to finally write it (largely for her). It will probably be a little while before I update it, but I really wanted to get this first chapter posted for Kira Week, which ends today, so here it is now. I might come back and edit this chapter later though.
> 
> So while it's not complete yet and may not be for a while, I definitely am going to continue it. Just hang on.

Kira Yukimura unbuckled her seat belt and removed her helmet as soon as she could. Flying in the open air was always glorious and freeing, but the confines of the cockpit suddenly stood out to her and made her nervous once she landed.

Upon exiting her plane, she strode towards the hangar doors as rapidly as possible. However, she hadn't made it very far before…

"Agent Yukimura!" she heard the cheerful voice ring out.

Muffling a sigh, Kira turned. "Yes, Larsen?"

The loading manager tucked her clipboard under her arm and smiled at Kira. "Would you be able to quickly come with me to make a report in the laboratories? I know you typically debrief directly to administration and logistics, but given the potential breakthroughs with this new transfer technology, it'd really be best to have you come with me to verify the report."

Kira glanced at the clock. She was ahead of schedule… "Lead the way, Larsen."

Larsen beamed and handed the clipboard to her assistant. Kira remembered the times when a mission like this would mean whole teams of people on the ground, but with the events of recent years, it was a stretch just for one two-person crew. This time, she was unable to hold back her sigh.

Larsen filled the silence with chatter as they walked down the corridors to the laboratory unit of the Haitian S.E.R.A. compound. Kira tried to pay attention, both out of politeness and the desire to not fixate on the pain from years past, but it was somewhat difficult when Larsen was talking so much about people Kira didn't really know.

"And then Murthy said she really did it! She rigged one of those ancient VCR machinery devices so that while it requires an initial boost of power to begin functioning, it can run indefinitely after that! Apparently something to do with miniature gears inside and generating energy while it runs as well as playing the movie like it's designed. If it works then obviously she'll replicate that technology for more important and large-scale projects, but just think about it, Agent Yukimura! No more having to wait to watch movies when there's enough energy to spare for a compound-wide recreation night! It will be fully sustainable to have personal leisure that still uses electricity of some sort."

Kira smiled at Larsen's enthusiasm, though again only half-heartedly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the young woman glance over at her, almost shyly. "Murthy wants to test it out tonight. I was wondering… I know you don't normally participate in most social activities, but would you consider this one? It could be a monumental event, a change in the course of history, if it works! And how often do you get to see that?"

Often, if you're me, thought Kira. It was so strange, thinking about a simple invention like this being so potentially groundbreaking. When Kira had been born, something like this would be considered clever and useful, but not the amazing prospect it was nowadays. Of course, everything regarding energy was different now.

"I'll think about it, Larsen," Kira said hesitantly. The prospect of the movie night wasn't horrible in and of itself, but… She had spent the last several decades learning how to be alone, how to isolate herself to avoid inevitable pain. Someone who was so eager to pull her into the social activity of the compound - and remind her painfully of one of the people she most regretted losing over the years - made it even harder to resist.

The look on Larsen's face at her simple promise was enough for her to feel a stab of guilt.

 

* * *

When they arrived in the lab, Larsen threw open the door cheerfully. "Hello, Walt!"

A white-coated man at the end of the room looked up. He walked over towards them. "Helga, what is this?" he asked, sounding slightly weary. "I'm on duty right now, and very busy."

"I know!" Larsen assured him. "It's related to the new technology the Ugandans notified us about, and apparently it works! Listen to what Agent Yuki- oh, I haven't even introduced you two! Agent Yukimura, meet Dr. Habiba. He's a recent transfer from the Indonesian S.E.R.A. station.  He'd probably prefer it if you didn't call him Walt."

Kira extended her hand to shake his, but she could see his eyes become slightly cold after the word "agent". "Pleasure," he said tightly.

"All mine," Kira said, smiling politely anyway. "I just piloted a plane from Uganda with a standard delivery, and they used their recently engineered transfer technology on the energy supply. It seemed to be working as well as our own, if not better."

Interest grew in Habiba's expression. "Really? Describe the whole process to me, including the flight of course."

Kira shook her head. "I can't. I stayed on board when they were handling the energy, and left the cockpit literally only to get water. The flight itself felt normal. All I can tell you specifically is that the loading time definitely felt faster. I do have the details in the flight log for you to examine."

No sooner had she spoken that Habiba opened the file and began to scan it. He walked back over the station where he had been standing earlier, without so much of a word of farewell.

Larsen then tugged on her arm. "Let's go!" she whispered. "You need to go to your admin meeting, don't you, Agent?"

Kira swore and rushed out the door. Larsen fell in step beside her, surprisingly capable of keeping up with her pace as she ran down the corridor. "He always that charming?" Kira asked after a minute of silence, surprising herself. Maybe it's just too strange for me to be around Larsen when she's not talking.

Larsen laughed, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "No, sorry about that. He's… he's funny about agents. I mean, most people here love you!" she hastened to say. "We all understand the dangerous and crucial work you do, so nobody sensible complains about the security and secrecy and everything. But… well, it's not my story to share. It's not personal, really! But he's generally kinder, yes."

Kira's curiosity was piqued, but she chose not to pry. As they neared the conference rooms, Larsen patted her on the shoulder. "I ought to go back to the hangar now. Bye!" And then she ran off.

Kira shook her head slightly as she reached the door, glancing again at her watch. To her relief, she was still on time.

"Agent Yukimura! So good for you to join us." Kira scowled ever so slightly at Theodore Papadolous, one of her least favorite members of the S.E.R.A. board.

"Quiet, Theo. She's on time," came the stern voice of Director Isidro Díaz.  Kira smiled slightly at them and took her seat.

Several more members filed in - and none of them were scolded by Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass Papadolous, she couldn't help but notice - until the clock struck three and all the seats were occupied.

Director Díaz cleared their throat. "Welcome, everyone. We are going to go straight to business today. Before we progress to the agenda, are there any urgent matters?"

Rui Ouyang and Darren Allen stood at the same time. "You first, Ms. Ouyang?" Allen asked politely.

Ouyang nodded. "Thank you. Director, members of the board, we have received a distress message. From Russia."

Murmurs broke out along the table, but Director Díaz cleared their throat again. The murmurs faded into silence, but Kira's thoughts were whirling. "From an ally?" questioned Papadolous, asking the question surely on everyone's mind.

Ouyang shook her head. "From an unknown. They were pleading for rescue. However, while the source was unfamiliar, the message was broadcasted along several radio signals, including our secure one. There is no way this person in distress could have contacted us without either extraordinary luck or being informed by someone who is one of our allies. We must answer this plea."

"But how could someone truly in distress spare the energy to broadcast a message among multiple signals? From Russia, of all places?" questioned Amber McGill.

Fair point, Kira thought. However, she also agreed with Ouyang. They had a responsibility to answer someone in distress. Dammit, if anyone dares to say that we shouldn't go and help whoever it is because it's not in the "spirit of the organization", I'll fucking show them the spirit this organization was largely founded on.

As the discussion grew more heated, particularly between board members representing different departments, Kira was torn between screaming at the outrageous bureaucracy of it all and how unreasonable some of them were being. Finally, she spoke up. "There is a simple solution here nobody is addressing."

When every eye turned to her, she cringed slightly, realizing she had spoken much louder than intended. Flushing, she spoke with as much resolve as she could muster. "Send a fully equipped rescue team, but one where every member is highly skilled in combat. Make sure they all know the potential risks and that they're even higher than going into Russian territory would be. If there is somebody or more than one somebody who is trapped in Russia and wants to escape - and I'm sure we can all understand why - then it's our responsibility to protect them. As long as we protect ourselves also, then it won't go wrong."

Silence met her speech. Then Papadolous spoke up sarcastically. "Are you volunteering then, Yukimura? Or are you just encouraging your own naïve opinions on everyone else, to let others be damned?"

Naïve. Kira fought the urge to laugh in his face. "I'll volunteer, absolutely," she snapped. "In case you've forgotten, I've accomplished higher risk missions with no back-up. Give me a capable team and adequate preparation and I won't be damning anyone, myself or others."

"No," Director Díaz spoke up. "I fully support your advice, Agent, but I have another mission where I need you."

Kira blinked in surprise, but everyone else calmed at Director Díaz's words. Some looked unhappy, but nobody protested. While dissent was fully allowed and Director Díaz's vote carried no more weight than the rest of theirs, their words were also regarded as the wisest. The debate was then over. A rescue team, not including Kira, was formed and then Director Díaz nodded to Darren Allen.

Allen's speech was entirely predictable. For the fifth time that month, Allen was proposing a team of analysts to predict which nations they could count on as allies and which nations would be the next to "fall". Once again, the plan was shot down. Some argued that several of the countries that had fallen to dictatorial rule in wake the energy crisis were completely unpredictable, like Australia and Laos. Others argued that even if the plan worked perfectly, there wasn't much they could do other than avoid forming alliances with "at risk" nations. Everyone agreed it was a waste of resources and labor when both were scarce. The meeting then moved onto the first topic officially on the agenda.

Kira tried to focus on the rest of the topics, like the discussion of food and water shortages (improved desalinization techniques and more trading was decided upon instead of lowering rations) and the management of one of the older and slightly more antiquated solar panel systems. However, thoughts of what mission Director Díaz could be planning for her consumed her attention.

By the time Director Díaz closed their folder containing the meeting's agenda, Kira's heart was racing at the possibilities in the upcoming assignment. It was silly, she knew, as an accomplished agent with nearly a century of fieldwork and hundreds of missions, but she couldn't help but feel an adrenaline rush already from the anticipation, excitement, and tinge of nervousness. 

As everyone else filed out of the meeting room, Kira stayed in her seat and once Director Díaz stood, Kira immediately followed.

They smiled at her. "Yukimura! Ready to discuss the mission, are you?"

Kira smiled slightly in return. "No idea what it is yet, Director, but I'm definitely ready to hear."

Director Díaz laughed. "Follow me, Agent." They opened the door in the back of the meeting room, not the one that led out into the main corridor. Kira quickly followed, blinking to adjust to the darkness of the dimly-lit passageway. Finally, Director Díaz reached another door at the end of the long and winding passage and opened it.

Kira entered a room that was mostly familiar and yet beginning to fade in her memory. The last time she had been brought to this place was for the mission about the rogue Mycenaean nymphs... She instinctually placed her hand on her belt, although no katana was there at the moment. "Director, is this a supernatural mission?" She knew she was unable to keep the nervous edge out of her voice.

"Of course, Agent! I would have been able to explain it in front of the board if it weren't." Director Díaz paused and a sympathetic expression appeared on their face. "Is that all right, Kira? You have been coping well recently, haven't you?"

Kira nodded hastily. Missions involving the supernatural always recalled painful memories and reopened wounds she tried so hard to heal. However, her entire purpose in remaining with S.E.R.A after everything that had happened and everything she had lost was to protect people in ways others could not. A kitsune was not invincible, but she was far more capable than the average human as a result. Even among all the other agents, all of whom were supernatural in some capacity, she was the most skillful due to her years of experience. And, of course, her familiarity with S.E.R.A.

Kira had pledged to Director Díaz that they could count on her whenever there was a mission where her skills were required. Director Díaz, in turn, did not call on her except when necessary, and was always understanding when Kira was having a particularly hard time, like when she realized it had been exactly one hundred years since she had first lost someone. Allison seemed a lifetime ago, and yet the wounds could feel so fresh anyway…

Director Díaz continued to study her face, but nodded. "All right. Let me show you, Agent. Our satellites recorded this data a few weeks ago. Since then, we've had specialists trying to make sense of it, but unfortunately our knowledge is limited. But here's what we know so far."

They twisted several knobs on the wall so that the hologram display would be visible despite the limited power supplying it. Then, the image flickered into existence.

A large graph was shown with widely fluctuating readings. Kira squinted at the axes to see what they were representing. "Energy?" she said in surprise. "A supernatural source of energy? Director Díaz, you know we rejected that possibility ages ago."

"Of course I know, Agent," Director Díaz said, their voice almost amused. "I don't want you to harness this energy, but to stop it."

Kira walked closer to the hologram, running her finger along the list of results. "What energy is it, then? How dangerous?"

"Unfortunately, we have no idea," they admitted. "However, S.E.R.A. has completely learned its lesson with regards to harnessing energy - you, of course, know that better than anyone. Even if it's completely benevolent in and of itself, it could prove an incredibly dangerous draw to other organizations and governments who are far less wise. At best, a dishonest group would attempt to harness this energy and deal with how it's bound to backfire. At worst, the energy will be deadly even if it is not tampered with first. That's why we need you."

Kira's lips thinned as she pressed them together in thought. "Is this all originating from one location?" she asked, continuing to trace her hand along the holographic image.

Director Díaz shook their head. Then, they tilted their head and paused. "I would say no, but again, we're not sure. This unidentifiable energy is concentrated in one area, we're sure, but there is a startling number of telluric currents in the vicinity."

Kira's head froze as she snapped her head up. Telluric currents. "Director… you didn't mention where these readings were taken from," she said carefully.

They sighed. "No, Agent. I didn't. I truly believe your skills are crucial for this mission, or else I wouldn't ask…"

Kira closed her eyes slowly. "Am I going in alone?" she asked, the nervousness reemerging.

"No," Director Díaz assured her. "I will be sending you with a team, consisting of specialists in supernatural science and in combat. It can be as large or as small as you need."

"Small," Kira said quickly. "Sending a large group into Western American territory is foolhardy, to be mild. And I don't need that much back-up." 

Director Díaz nodded. "I can arrange for that, then." They hesitated. "You… you will be able to manage, then, Agent?" 

Kira nodded curtly, staying as stoic as possible. "I've managed an evacuation of hundreds of Australian evacuees in the height of the energy crisis, Director. Single-handedly. America is a mess these days, the west particularly, but I can manage." 

Director Díaz turned to her with slightly sad eyes. "Agent… Kira, you know that's not what I was asking."

"Well, that's what I'm answering," she said with a slight lift of her chin. Director Díaz's concern was touching, and a reminder of why S.E.R.A. had been worth maintaining after everyone else had been lost. They were absolutely her favorite director over the whole of S.E.R.A.'s existence, and her favorite member currently around today. However, despite all that, it didn't mean she was ready to talk to them in detail about her struggles with grief. Luckily for her, they never demanded that and only asked out of a desire to help. Even when she kept quiet, they were understanding anyway about what they did know.

Director Díaz finally nodded with a sigh. "How soon will you be ready?"

Kira shrugged. "I can be ready to leave within the hour if necessary. It looks like we need to hurry, and it will take 7 hours to fly to Beacon Hills."


End file.
